The new ATC centre commissioning ceremony was held on Monday 10 December with the participation of representatives of Mintrans of Russia, OJSC “Concern VKO “Almaz-Antej” and FSUE “State ATM Corporation”.
Trans-Siberian system of transit routing connecting Europe airports with Japan, China and Korea airports are controlled by Yekaterinburg Consolidated ATC Centre. The controlled airspace is 690 thousand km². Air route segment length is 18 980 km including international – 8 270 km. Previously air traffic services were provided by seven ATC centres located in Yekaterinburg, Perm, Chelyabinsk, Izhevsk, Magnitogorsk, Kirov and Kurgan. Now their functions are totally delegated to the single consolidated ATC centre.
The ATC centre transfer to the new ATM automation system was arranged under the approved program. 10 sectors of the responsibility area of the centre have been simultaneously transferred to operation using the new system. At the same time with the AC sectors the approach control office being the part of former Yekaterinburg TCC was put into operation within the centre at the new position.
As part of ATM automation system of Yekaterinburg consolidated ATC centre the basic functionality is implemented using up-to-date automation facilities:
- the basic subsystem – ALPHA ATC System. The complex was used in configuration for 28 workstations of the main system and 28 workstations of the backup system,
- communication subsystem – MEGAPHONE VCSS in configuration of 61 sets of workstation equipment including workstation equipment for emergency radio communication and more than 200 external interfaces,
- recording system based on GRANIT Recorder (Version 6). The system provides registration of 256 analog and 256 digital voice channels, 14 radar data sources, 8 direction-finding data sources, 32 video flows from IP-cameras and up to 60 workstation screens.
- PLANETA-5 Flight Data Processing System for 12 workstations,
- Consoles of PULT-A series
Prior to transfer to operation of the new ATM automation system the ATC staff of the centre received full-scale training at the upgraded EXPERT ETC Simulator which workstation functionality is identical to WKS of the new system.
For the purpose of further maintenance of ATM automation system as well as for reconfiguration and upgrading tasks settlement the testing module has been commissioned enabling drill in system setting, parameter amendment and additional functions implementation without affecting the operation of the existing system.
Based on the results of all of the tests the technical features and functionality of ATM automation system were confirmed providing comfortable environment for staff work in high-intensity traffic conditions.
The new ATM automation system will make it possible to increase the capacity, and to maintain the high level of air traffic security and efficiency within Yekaterinburg AC responsibility area.